US 8,994,534 B2Granted

Documents management using remote document location and retrieval

AssigneeZMicrodata Corporation

InventorsShengbo Zhu, Su Shiong Huang

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A documents management system with remote location and retrieval of documents contained in file folders positioned in file drawers in a collection of file cabinets. Each document has an RFID tag containing a document identifier and the contents of the document stored in a read-only memory. Each file folder has a circuit containing a unique identifier for that folder. Each file cabinet has a control unit which searches for a specific file folder in response to receipt of a file folder request from a source. If the folder is found, each cabinet has an R.F. reader which searches for a specific document in response to receipt of a document request from the source. If the document is found, the R.F. reader extracts the document contents and transmits them to the source.

Claims12

Dependent claims

A method of remotely locating and retrieving a document physically located in a file folder in a file cabinet in a document storage system having a host computer, a master list of documents, file folders in which individual documents are registered, and file cabinets in which file folders are located, each file cabinet having a control unit, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the host computer to designate a document to be found;
(b) transmitting a file folder request from the host computer directly to the control unit of the file cabinet in which the file folder containing the document is located according to the master list;
(c) using the control unit to locally search the file cabinet for the file folder identified in the request;
(d) using the control unit to transmit a file folder found signal directly to the host computer when the file folder is found;
(e) transmitting a document identifier signal from the host computer directly to the control unit of the file cabinet containing the found file folder;
(f) using the control unit to locally search the found file folder for the document specified by the document identifier signal;
and
(g) using the control unit to transmit the contents of the found document directly to the host computer when the document specified by the document identifier signal has been found so that physical presence of a human operator at the file cabinet location is not necessary to remotely retrieve the found document to the location of the host computer.

5 more elements

A document management system for enabling remote location and retrieval of documents, said system comprising:

a host computer;
a plurality of file cabinets having a plurality of file drawers;
a plurality of file folders located in said file drawers;
a plurality of documents located in said plurality of file folders, each document having an RFID tag containing a document identifier and an electronic copy of the contents of the document;
each file cabinet having a control unit for receiving file folder request signals directly from said host computer, performing a file folder search in response to receipt of said file folder request signal, and sending a response directly to said host computer indicating the result of the file folder search;
each file folder having a circuit responsive to a search initiated by said file folder request signal for generating a response signal when the file folder request signal matches the identity of the file folder;
each file cabinet further including an RFID reader for receiving a document request signal directly from said host computer, performing a document search in response to receipt of a document request signal, and sending the contents of a found document directly to said host computer so that physical presence of a human operator at the file cabinet location is not necessary to remotely retrieve the found document to the location of the host computer.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/803,712Filed 2 Jul 2010
Published: US 2012/0001758 A15 Jan 2012
Granted: 31 Mar 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification4 codes

G06Q 10/10
Administration; Management: office automation; Time management
G16H 10/60
ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of patient-related medical or healthcare data: for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic…
G06Q
Information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial
G16H
Healthcare informatics, i.e. information and communication technology [ict] specially adapted for the